FILE- In this July 25, 2017, file photo, construction continues on the spans of the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, right, as vehicles make their way on the the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River, near Tarrytown, N.Y. One of the largest public infrastructure projects underway in the U.S. is about to begin carrying traffic across a broad expanse of the Hudson River. Westbound travelers will be switched from the old Tappan Zee Bridge to the first span of the $4 billion Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on Friday, Aug. 25 (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File) ORG XMIT: NYR204 less

FILE- In this July 25, 2017, file photo, construction continues on the spans of the new Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, right, as vehicles make their way on the the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River, near ... more

Photo: Julie Jacobson

Image 2 of 4

FILE- In this Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, file photo work continues on the new Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, right, while the older Tappan Zee Bridge, left, is still in use near Tarrytown, N.Y. One of the largest public infrastructure projects underway in the U.S. is about to begin carrying traffic across a broad expanse of the Hudson River. Westbound travelers will be switched from the old Tappan Zee Bridge to the first span of the $4 billion Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) ORG XMIT: NYR202 less

FILE- In this Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, file photo work continues on the new Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, right, while the older Tappan Zee Bridge, left, is still in use near Tarrytown, N.Y. One of the largest ... more

Photo: Seth Wenig

Image 3 of 4

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 25, 2017, file photo construction continues on the new Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, foreground spanning the Hudson River as motorists make their way on the the Tappan Zee Bridge, near Tarrytown, N.Y. One of the largest public infrastructure projects underway in the U.S. is about to begin carrying traffic across a broad expanse of the Hudson River. Westbound travelers will be switched from the old Tappan Zee Bridge to the first span of the $4 billion Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on Friday, Aug. 25. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File) ORG XMIT: NYR203 less

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 25, 2017, file photo construction continues on the new Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, foreground spanning the Hudson River as motorists make their way on the the Tappan Zee Bridge, ... more

Photo: Julie Jacobson

Image 4 of 4

Long-awaited N.Y. bridge opens westbound Friday

1 / 4

Back to Gallery

Albany

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's signature public works project, a $4 billion bridge to be named after his father, is about to begin carrying commuters across the Hudson River in the New York City suburbs.

One span of the future Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge will open to westbound traffic Friday, signaling near-completion of a project to replace the 62-year-old Tappan Zee that has served as the poster child for America's crumbling infrastructure. The second span is scheduled for completion in the spring.

The 3-mile-long bridge linking Westchester County to the New York State Thruway across the widest point in the Hudson is one of the largest public infrastructure projects under way in the U.S. and a model of the latest engineering. It will take more than 50 million vehicles a year across the river, from Manhattan commuters to truckers looking to skirt the traffic-choked city 25 miles to the south.

The construction project, begun by the Thruway Authority in 2013 after decades of political squabbling, still rankles upstate critics who want to know exactly how the state is paying for it.

"Repeatedly we've heard whispers about raising tolls across the Thruway system to pay for a bridge many upstate commuters will never use," said Greg Biryla, executive director of Unshackle Upstate, a coalition of business and trade organizations. "The Thruway is the economic lifeline between our communities. When you increase the cost of that lifeline, you do further damage to the struggling upstate economy."

Abbey Fashouer, a spokeswoman for Cuomo, said upstate residents are not paying for the bridge.

"There has been no upstate toll revenue used to support the construction and financing of the new bridge, and no upstate toll revenue will be necessary to cover any remaining costs as the Tappan Zee currently provides significant funding for the entire Thruway system," she said.

The state has dedicated $2 billion from bank settlements and $1.6 billion from a federal loan to fund the project, according to Cuomo's office. But the Democratic governor said last month that tolls from the entire 570-mile Thruway system will help pay the bridge bills. He has also pledged that Thruway tolls will be frozen through 2020.

E.J. McMahon, president of Empire Center, a conservative think tank, says the Thruway Authority should have increased the bridge toll in anticipation of the project. While other New York City area bridges cost as much as $15, the Tappan Zee is $5 round trip.

Even at $5, the bridge has been a major revenue source for the highway system, with its tolls accounting for about 20 percent of overall revenues, according to Cuomo's office. The Cuomo administration says there are options after 2020 that could offset tolls, like the possibility of additional state resources or future settlement dollars.

While upstate commuters may never use the new bridge, they'll get some use out of the old one. The Thruway Authority is giving away portions of the bridge's deck and its moveable barrier system.

Eight counties have requested some of the 150 deck panels to be salvaged for reuse in other bridges.